Method and apparatus for feeding webs in folders for printing machines



A. HOWEY 2,334,674 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING -WEBS IN FOLDERS FOR PRINTING MACHINES Nov. 16, 1943.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Adamjto'wey. BY v ATTpfiNEY Nov. 16, 1943.

A. HOWEY,

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FEEDING WEBS IN FOLDERS FOR PRINTING MACHINES INVENTOR Adam Howey BY/ ATTRNEY Patented Nov. 16, 1943 'ME'rnoD ANDAPPARATfUS FOR meme WEBSJ IN FOLDERS For:v PRINTING, MA-

7 CHINES Adam Howey, Brooklyn, N. Y.,' assignor to R. Hoe

& Co., Inc., New York, N.

New York Y., a corporation of Application Noveinber 12, 1949, Serial No.'365,186' 9 Claims. (c1. 270455) This invention relates to folders for printing machines and more particularly to improvements therein to adapt them for use with printing machines wherein printed webs are Collected to gether and fed to a folding mechanism Where they are arranged and assembled into the form of product desired. In the present instance, these Webs are brought together and led over a drag orior-warding roller, over a former, over web bending rollers, again brought together and fed between nipping or propelling rollers to a folding cylinder, then fed'between this cylinder and a sheet cutting and collecting cylinder, past a stapling cylinder to a pair of folding rollers, and finally to a delivery fan. Under some'conditions the outside web tends'to separate from the others as they pass between the nipping rollers, but more often this condition tendsto occur after the webs have been cut into sheets and are being folded between the folding oil rollers, which cooperate with a folding blade carried by the folding cylinder. To overcome'this tendency of the outside webs or sheets to separate from others as they are being collected and .folded, the features and principles of this inventionwere devised and have been found to be particularly cient. Y One object of this invention is to provide an improved folder for a printing machine, wherein webs or sheets are collected and folded Without the adjacent underlying ones.

an outside web or sheet tending to separate from Another object is to provide means in'a folder for a. printing machine to insure that the outside one of a plurality of collected webs or sheets will remain in its correct relationship-with the others.

Still another objector thisinventionis to provide means to project an atomized fluid between the outside one of a plurality of webs or sheets and the feeding or folding rollers, whereby this outside web or sheet will remain in its correct cooperating relation with the other while being propelled by the rollers. r It is also an object of this invention to provide, an improved folder for printing machines of generallyimproved construction,whereby the device will be simple, durableand inexpensivein construction, as wellas convenient, practical,

serviceable and efiicient in use. 7

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds,

the invention resides in the combination hereinafter described andclaimed.

The fpreferred embodiment of the inventionis" illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein: v

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatical view of a printing machine embodying the features and principles of this invention; and r c Figure 2'is a similar view of the folder shown in Figure 1,10oking in the direction of arrow 2,

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like parts through- V out the several views, the nume'r al H denotes generally oneprinting unit of a printing machine such as is well known in the printing field. Such a printing unit includes two pairs of plate and impression cylinders l2 and I3 respectively, ink,

distributing cylinders M with cooperating ink transfer rollers l5'and l6, ink distributing rollers I8v and I9, and suitable web guiding rollers 2|,

7 22 'an'd,.23. A plurality of such printing units are usually provided in a printing machine, and a plurality of webs 24, each leading from a different printing unit, are brought together into) superers 29,31 and 34-, as. It s the usual practice to drive the nipping rollers 29, 3| and 34, 35 slightly faster than the normal speed of other rollers and thefcylinders of the printing machineso as; to exert a slight pull upon the collected webs, and thishas been found to causethe outside web 32 I to be slightly separated from those underneath,

due probably to its direct engagement with the, cooperating rollers 29, 3I, and 34', 35. T0 offset this tendency, it is proposed, as one feature of thisv invention, to provide means to project a spray of atomizedfiuid'such asan'emulsion of oil and water,1between this outer Web 32 and, forinstance, the roller 3|. The emulsion of oil and water is supplied from a' source of supply (not 7 shown) under pressure to an atomizer nozzle 33, whereby it isdirected between the outer web 32- and the periphery of the roller 31, and any others desired. Application of 7 an atomized "fluid, as

above described, has been found to obviateithe v tendency for the outermost web toseparatefrom the -others, whereby all of the webs may be caused to pass between the rollers 29, 3!, and 34, 35 in: correct alignment, j After passing between the rollers 29, 3| and '34, 35, the collected webs 24 are passed to cooperating s'heet'folding, sheet cutting and collecting ice from the webs 24 may be collected and later transferred to similar sheet collecting pins 4! provided on the folding cylinder, 36, which has .suitable blocks 42 to cooperate with the cutting blade 38 on the cylinder 31. V

The folding cylinder 35 is provided with foldinglli) side sheet of the product, to prevent its separablades .43 which cooperate. in timed relation, with e de e y of collected sheets from the collecting cylinder 31 and the cylinder 35, with a pair of folding-off rollers 44 and 45 to fold these sheets.

The rollers 44 and 45 fold the plurality of collected sheets 46 and direct them into' a delivery fan- 41. In this instance, a stapling cylinder 48 is provided which has a staplingplunger 49 adapted I to cooperate with anvils 5!, on the folding cylinder 36, to staple the collected sheets together-as they pass between the stapling cylinder 48 and the folding cylinder 36.

g It has been found that the out-er sheet 52, of the plurality of sheets on the cylinder 36, under some conditionstendsto separate from the others,

and, therefore, means has been devised, as one feature of this invention, to obviate this tendency. The means for obviating the above referred to tendency of the outer sheet 52 to'separatefrom'the others, includes the provision of means to 'project a spray of atomized fluid, preferably an emulsion ofoil and water, between this outer sheet and one of the rollers 44 or 45. Preferably, the atomized fluid is projected from, an atomizing nozzle 53 which is connected, as by a pipe 54, to a source not shown of such fluid under pressure. The nozzle 53 projects this fluid between the roller 44and the portion of the outer sheet 52 which has passed beyond or forward of thefolding point,

because it isat this point that most of the separation takes place, due-probably. to the fact that the'upper surface of the roller 44 moves'm-a di rection opposite to that of the adjacent surface of the cylinder36 and travel of the sheets thereon.

, In some instances, it.is desirable to' provide both 4;}

of theabovereferred to atomized fluid projecting means, but, under some conditions, the one located at the roller 3| may be omitted, although its use occasionally is desired, as the emulsionsprayed web portion becomes the outer sheet at the folding-off rollers 44 and 45, and the emulsion thereon adds to the effect produced bythat projected from the nozzle 53. In instances where the sheets are stapled, as by the means disclosed,

the provision of means-to project atomized fluid 55 sent-embodiment be considered in all respects illustrative and notrestrictive.

WhatI claimis; 1 1. In a folder for a web printing machine, a former propelling means for printed webs leading from the machine and over, the former, the propelling means including cooperating rollers, means exterior of the cooperating rollers to project atomized lubricating fluid between one of the rollers and the web. directly engaged thereby, a-

folding cylinder having alfolding-;b1ade,ajiveb cutting and sheet collecting cylinder cooperating with said folding cylinder to cut and collect sheets from the web, a sheet stapling cylinder cooperating with the folding cylinder to staple sheets cut from the web, cooperating folding rollers arranged to cooperate with the folding blade on the folding cylinder to fold the stapled sheets, and means exterior of the folding" rollers to project atomized lubricating fluid between one of the folding rollers and the leading portion of the outtionfrom the inside sheets.

" '2. The method'of feeding a plurality of Webs in the frictional characteristics of the outermost web to prevent the frictional engagement between the web-propelling surface of the roller and 'the outermost web from separating the outermost web from the next outermost web.

3. The method of feeding a plurality of webs in multi-ply relation. through a printing or folding machine, which includes engaging an outermost Web with a driven web-propelling roller and spraying lubricating emulsion between the roller and the outermost Web to lubricate the webpropelling surface of the roller and to alter the frictional characteristics of the outermost Web to prevent the frictional engagement between the web-propelling surface of the roller and, the outermostweb from separating the outermost web from the'next outermost web. I

4. The method-of feeding a plurality of webs in multi-ply relation through a printing or folding machine, which includes engaging an outermost web with a driven web-propelling roller and sprayingatomizedlubricating emulsion between the roller and the outermost web to lubricate the web-propelling surface of the roller and to alter the frictional characteristics of the outermost web to prevent the frictional engagement between the web-propelling surface of the roller and the outermost web from separating the outermost web from, the next outermost web.

5. The method of feeding a plurality of webs in multi-ply relation through, a printing or folding machine, which includes engaging an outermost web with a driven web-propelling roller operating at a higher peripheral speed than the linear speed of the web and spraying atomized lubricating emulsion between the roller and the outermost web to lubricate the web-propelling surface of theroller and to alter the frictional 0 characteristics of the outermost web to prevent the frictional engagement between the web-propelling surface of the roller and the outermost web from separating the outermost web from the next outermost web.

6. In a folder for a printing machinev adapted to produce a product composed of a plurality of printed superimposed webs, the combination with cooperating web-propelling rollers operably engaging 'the'outermost webs of means exterior of the web-propelling rollers to project lubricating emulsion between one of the rollers and an outermost web to lubricate the web-propelling surface of the roller and to alter the frictional characteristics of the outermost webto preventthe frictional engagement between the web-propel ling surface of the roller and the outermost web from separating the outermost web from the next outermost web.

7. In a folder for a printing machine adapted to produce folded multi-ply products, the combination with a folding cylinder having a folding blade and cooperating folding rollers arranged to cooperate with the folding blade to fold the product, of means arranged to project lubricating emulsion from a point exterior of the folding rollers between an outermost ply of each product and a folding roller to lubricate the web-propelling surface of the roller and to alter the frictional characteristics of the. outermost ply to prevent the frictional engagement between the web-propelling surface of the roller and the outermost ply from separating the outermost ply from the next outermost ply of the product.

8. In a folder for a printing machine to produce a product composed of a plurality of superimposed webs and the combination with cooperating web-propelling rollers located to engage the outermost webs to thereby propel the webs, a folding cylinder and a cutting cylinder having cooperating means to cut the webs into sheets and superimpose the sheets, a folding blade operably supported by the folding cylinder, folding rollers arranged to cooperate with the folding blade to fold the sheets into a product, of means exterior of the said web-propelling rollers to project lubricating emulsion between a web-propelling roller and an outermost'web, and means exterior of the folding rollers for projecting lubricating emulsion between a folding roller and an outermost sheet, the emulsion serving to lubricate the web or sheet from separating the outermost web or sheet from the next outermost web or sheet.

9. In a folder for a web printing machine, the combination with propelling means for printed webs being led from the machine, a folding cylinder having a folding blade, a web cutting and sheet collecting cylinder cooperating with said folding cylinder to cut and collect sheets from the webs, a sheet stapling cylinder cooperating with the folding cylinder to staple the sheets cut from the webs and cooperating folding rollers arranged to'cooperate with'the folding blade to fold the stapled sheets, of means exterior of the folding rollers to project lubricating emulsion between a folding roller and the sheet engaged thereby to reduce the friction between the roller and the sheet.

ADAM HOWEY. 

